


The Harmony Builds

by LuvnTheJukebox (GalahadsGurl)



Series: Dancing About Architecture [2]
Category: Aztec Religion, Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Bringing Back Your Dead, Chronic Illness, F/M, How Do I Live . . . Without You?, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Multi, Tags Suck!, The Ghost Boys Live
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-24
Updated: 2020-12-27
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:54:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 17,371
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27176842
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GalahadsGurl/pseuds/LuvnTheJukebox
Summary: Xochiquetzal granted Julie's wish and the boys live. So what happens now?
Relationships: Alex & Julie Molina & Luke Patterson & Reggie, Alex/Willie (Julie and The Phantoms), Julie Molina/Luke Patterson/Reggie, Ray Molina & Everyone
Series: Dancing About Architecture [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1983638
Comments: 171
Kudos: 259





	1. The Trouble With Being Human

**Author's Note:**

> Hello all! Welcome to the sequel of . . . But the Melody Lingers On. I can't wait to see what you all think about this one. It's going to be a wild ride. You're all amazing and wonderful. Thank you so much for coming with me on this journey. 
> 
> Translations are at the end. Thank you and enjoy!

[ ](https://imgur.com/rDHck57)

Alex startled at the sound of the door opening behind them, his eyes wide as he watched through blurry vision as Ray Molina came into his daughter's room. No doubt the man was responding to the cry she'd let out when the two gods had disappeared. "Julie, I thought I heard . . ." the man began, stumbling to a stop as he scanned over each of the people in his room.

 _Ray can see us,_ Alex marveled, watching the man's eyes stop on everyone . . . even the formerly ghosted. 

The man's hands came up to rub at his eyes for a long moment, before scanning the room again - almost as though he couldn't believe his eyes. After a moment, his tone turned stern as he demanded of his daughter, “ _Mija_ , why are there boys in your room?" 

"Wait," Julie asked, her tone breathless with uncertain excitement, "you can see them!?"

"Of course, I can see them!" her father insisted, his hands coming up to rest on his hips as he scolded his daughter, "Julianna Rosita Molina, it is midnight and there are **boys** in your room! What is going on here!?" 

Honestly, Alex thought the man was handling the situation better than expected. Another moment passed, as Ray's eyes narrowed speculatively, before he questioned, "Wait - are these your _**Phantoms**_?" 

"It worked," the drummer breathed, even as Julie whirled to face Luke.

Grabbing the guitarist's face, the girl leaned forward and kissed him, both of them laughing through the kiss as they enjoyed their new reality. Pulling away from him, she threw her arms around both Reggie and Luke as she informed her father, "Not anymore, Papi." Face pressing to Reggie's throat, she continued, "Not anymore." 

Alex chuckled a little, watching the three cling to each other as tightly as they could manage while one hand lifted to rub at his eyes as he tried to blink away the blurriness. Some part of him wondered why the side effect of Caleb’s jolts lingered, now that he was apparently alive and well once again. The rest of him wondered how long it would take for his three favorite idiots to figure out what Alex pretty much already knew. Pushing to his feet, the blond moved forward to offer the man a hand in greeting, "So, this is not how we intended to one day meet you, but . . . hi, I'm Alex. Alex Morgan." 

Ray stared at Alex in open confusion but reached to accept his hand agreeably. "Ray Molina - forgive me for saying so, but . . . you look very familiar." 

Alex smiled a little as he insisted, "Yeah. We'll uh . . . we'll explain that." 

Behind him, he suddenly heard Luke's laughter dissolve into wracking coughs, bringing Alex around, looking towards him in concerned curiosity. He didn’t seem to be the only one worried either – Reggie’s arms shifted Luke a little more upwards to try to help as Julie’s hands found Luke’s cheeks to offer the comfort she’d been able to while they were all still dead. When Luke continued to cough, Alex stepped away from Ray as she watched the fear Alex had seen prior to the goddess' gift taking its place in her features once again. "Luke?" the girl questioned, eyes scanning over his face in search of answers. 

Something about the scene before him tripped across Alex's memories, his eyes narrowing as he tried to place what he was seeing. Luke bowed forward over his lap, one hand coming up to pull on the neck of his shirt, his coughs harsh and barking and leaving him unable to get air. Julie looked panicked, her hands on Luke's jaw as she tried to force him to look at her, and it was the terrified look on her face that clicked it in for Alex. 

"Oh shit!" he breathed, lunging forward as he barked, "He's having an asthma attack!" 

"A what!?" Julie demanded, even as Reggie cursed and hauled the older boy straighter. 

Between the two friends, they were able to get Luke sitting up straight and his chin up to open his airways. Reggie growled, "You have his inhaler!" 

"This" Alex insisted, yanking on the strap, "has been empty since we died! I don't have his inhaler anymore!" 

Of course, almost as soon as he said that Alex felt something appear in his fanny pack and he frowned. The shape and weight of it felt familiar and he turned his attention downwards as he murmured, "Wait . . ." 

Yanking at the zipper, out rolled a familiar red inhaler, earning a gust of relief from Reggie. Alex's eyes were huge as he looked up at Reggie, insisting, "That wasn't there two minutes ago." 

"I don't care, Alex, he can't fucking breathe!" Reggie barked, reaching out for the inhaler and shaking it firmly a few times, the action practiced and familiar. He removed the cap and let it fall, pressing the button at the top several times until a puff of medication gusted from the mouthpiece. Then Reggie forced the inhaler into Luke's hand before forcing that hand to lips which were slowly turning blue. "Come on, Lucas," he coaxed, his free hand taking a firm grip on the back of the other boy's neck to hold him steady as Luke brought the inhaler to his lips and depressed the plunger. 

Alex reached out to lay a hand on Julie's shoulder, the young woman staring at Luke as he sagged back against Reggie when the other boy took the inhaler to shake it again. "What's going on?" she breathed, turning to look at the drummer with tear-filled eyes. 

"Luke had really bad asthma when he was still alive," Alex explained, watching as Reggie forced another two doses onto the guitarist before he could finally breathe normally. "He hasn't had an attack since he died - we thought they were gone." 

"And by bringing him back . . ." she gasped, her hands flying to her lips in horror. 

"Hey, this is not your fault. Reggie and I have been there for a lot of these, and we didn't even think about it, okay?" Alex insisted, fingers tightening a little bit. "He wouldn't blame you." 

Both of them looked down as Luke's fingers crept between Julie's own, his voice still breathless as he insisted, "Listen to Alex - not your fault." 

Her eyes rolled, even as she twisted her fingers to cling tighter to his. "Are you okay?" 

"Yeah," he breathed with a small smile, "I just forgot how to breathe." 

"Well, it has been twenty-five years since you've had to do that," she replied with a choked little giggle. Alex smirked a little bit as she ran her fingers back through his hair, her tone gentle as she asked, "So, asthma - how does that work for a rock star?" 

"We would schedule breaks into the set, so I could use my inhaler," he replied with a smirk. "Go off stage, use my inhaler, change out my guitar and then come back on stage. It wasn't perfect, but it worked for the most part." 

All four of the teenagers froze at the sharp, pointed sound of a throat clearing from near the door of Julie’s bedroom. “Julianna Rosita,” Ray Molina rumbled, earning a wince from Alex - even twenty-five years after he died, the drummer knew the use of the middle name was never a good thing. 

“ _¿Sí Papi?_ ” she questioned, twisting to look up at him innocently. 

The attempt to soften his frustration was valiant, but her father didn’t seem to be in the mood for it. If anything, the frown on his face only deepened further. “I need you and your phantoms to come downstairs and take a seat on the couch,” Ray insisted firmly. “I have questions, and it is long past time I got some answers.” 

Julie sunk a little into herself, as she promised, “Yes sir.” 

Alex’s fingers tightened on her shoulder in silent comfort, before the oldest member of the band turned his attention onto Luke. “How are you feeling?” 

Holding out a hand, the guitarist insisted, “I’ll need some help getting up, but other than that, I don’t know.” 

“Fair enough,” Alex chuckled, taking the hand and hooking the corresponding arm over his shoulders. Waiting for Reggie to take the other side, the two counted down then pulled Luke slowly to his feet. Luke swayed, eyes squeezing closed for a moment even as he muttered, “I’m all right.” 

“You’re a shit liar,” Alex scoffed with a roll of his eyes. Privately frustrated with the persistent blurriness of his own eyes, he could only imagine how Luke felt after the last several weeks of sickness and then the evening’s asthma attack. “Reg?”

Reggie’s fingers laced through Luke’s, tone quiet as he insisted, “I’ve got him.” 

Julie slipped into the place Alex vacated, her eyes fixed on Luke’s face as the guitarist offered her a lopsided smile. As for the drummer, he moved to Mr. Molina, a sheepish smile on his face as he insisted, “They’ll be right behind us. Shall we?” 

For a moment, Alex didn’t think the man would go for the suggestion before he rolled his eyes and preceded the blond from the room. Turning back before he left the room, Alex insisted firmly, “Do not dally. We’re already going to have enough to apologize for.” 

“We’re right behind you, Lex,” Luke promised with a shade of his usual smile. 

Fortunately, Reggie seemed willing to cover for the guitarist, insisting, “Get out of the way, dude - you’re blocking the door.” 

Alex snorted, tossing a small salute to acknowledge the jab, before leading the way from the room. When they arrived in the living room, moving much slower than normal in deference to Luke’s own pace, they found Ray pacing a short path in front of the television. The three ghosts shared a quick, terrified look - their relationships with their parents hadn’t been good for some time before their deaths, and none of them liked the look of this for Julie. Her dad was awesome, and they definitely didn’t want to be the reason that changed. 

As for Julie, she didn't seem overly concerned by the look on her father's face, her whole focus on Luke as she helped Reggie ease the teenager onto the couch. She yanked the blanket off the back of the couch, draping it over him, before taking a seat beside him and encouraging him to sprawl out on his side with his head in her lap. Alex couldn't hold in the smile at the sight of her fussing at Luke, the fingers of one hand in his hair and the other smoothing gently across his still bare shoulders and back. 

Oh shit – Luke was shirtless . . . in front of Julie’s father. Julie . . . the girl everyone and their mother’s dog could tell Luke had a crush on. A crush clearly reciprocated, considering her actions now. Wincing a little bit, Alex glanced towards Ray as he considered the scene from the man’s point of view. Ray’s eyes were focused on his daughter, watching her settle Luke who looked moments from passing out. 

Mouth pulling a little, Alex stepped closer to the man and asked quietly, "Sir, do you mind if I go grab Luke a shirt?" 

Those eyes turned onto Alex for a moment, before his chin dipped in a soft nod. “We’ll wait,” he replied, tone flat and firm. 

_Not ominous at all._

Turning towards the door and wishing he could _poof!_ out for the first time since he and his friends came back as ghosts, Alex bolted, muttering to himself as he ran for their things in the studio, "This was so much easier when I was dead."

Bursting into the studio, he scrambled up the stairs to the loft where the boys kept their clothes and personal things, so Ray didn't find them and get worried about hobos living in his converted garage. Rifling through their things, he grabbed Luke’s oversized, magenta sweatshirt - long-sleeved and shapeless enough to appease a protective father. 

As he approached the front door once again, he could hear Luke's gasping coughs through the windows and put on a burst of speed. He'd left the inhaler with Reggie, but two asthma attacks in less than thirty minutes definitely couldn't mean anything good. "What the hell happened?" he demanded, bursting through the door and dropping to his knees beside Reggie in front of the couch.

"He's literally forgetting to breathe," Reggie replied, worry in his eyes as he helped keep Luke's hand steady while the guitarist lifted his inhaler to his lips. "I mean, I know we were just dead, man, but breathing? Kinda important now that we're living again!" 

Alex gave Reggie a dry look at the statement, before looking up at Julie. She forced a small smile, before looking up at her father and pulling Alex's attention to her father as well. "I know you have questions, Dad . . ."

"Yes, I have questions," Ray insisted with a fierce frown. "For example - why you lied to me about your phantoms, even after promising to be honest with me the night you snuck out?" 

Julie winced, her lips pulling downwards as she redirected her attention back to Luke, visibly gnawing on her lower lip. Luke reached up with his free hand to brush his thumb over the skin, pulling it gently free as he insisted breathlessly, "You'll hurt yourself doing that, Jules."

The look she aimed down at him was fond as she scolded, "Says the boy literally forgetting to breathe." 

He chuckled a little, the action more movement than sound. Her lips curved upwards a little bit before she steeled her shoulders and met her father's eyes square on. "In fairness, Papi, if I'd told you my phantoms were honest to God ghosts, would you have believed me?" 

Ray's mouth opened - no doubt to protest his daughter's assumption - before closing against a soft slump of his shoulders. "All right, fair enough. But that does open up a minefield of other questions, _mija_." 

"Like why are they suddenly alive again?" she hedged, her shoulders climbing around her ears sheepishly. 

"Among other things," he replied, turning his eyes down on Luke - specifically the teenager's bare shoulders visible above the edges of the blanket.

Julie blushed a little, pulling the blanket a little further over Luke's shoulders. Two asthma attacks within the space of an hour had clearly wiped the guitarist out, leaving him blinking and tired as he curled up beside her. To her credit, she managed not to sound defensive as she explained, "He's been really sick, Dad. We thought . . ." here she trailed off, unable to force herself to finish the thought. 

“You thought what, Julie?”

“We thought he wasn’t going to make it,” Alex replied, willing to take the pain of the statement in order to spare Julie. Crouching in front of the couch, he managed to coax Luke upwards - between Alex and Reggie’s stubborn prodding, the guitarist managed to pull on the sweatshirt slowly. 

Once Luke settled again, Reggie reached out to grab Julie’s hand, his eyes fixed on her face as he squeezed firmly. Despite the scenario in which they found themselves, Alex couldn't hold back the smirk of amusement - oh, these two were going to be even worse about admitting their feelings than even **Luke** and Julie had been. Absently, he wondered if he'd be able to get Flynn and Willie's help in doing something about it. 

Not so absently, he wondered if he'd ever see Willie again, despite the god's assurance otherwise. 

“How do ghosts get sick, _mija_?” 

Julie nibbled on her lower lip for a long moment, before huffing out a soft sigh. "Do you trust me, Papi?" 

"Of course," the man replied instantly - no hesitation and no thought. Whatever else Ray Molina might be feeling, his trust in his daughter remained absolute. 

Their lead singer turned her attention back to Reggie and Alex, Luke having fallen asleep in her lap, clearly asking their permission to tell as much as she could. Alex smiled at her, but Reggie squeezed her hand and pulled her attention onto him. "Luke told you all those weeks ago, that you could tell your dad about us. We will support you, no matter what you tell him, Jules. We're here for you."

Taking a deep breath, Alex watched as the youngest member of the band closed her eyes and bowed her head, clearly praying for some kind of guidance. Probably from her mother – meeting Xochiquetzal had been terrifying for Alex, but the drummer felt sure he wasn’t the only one to see a light in Julie he hadn’t seen within her before. The goddess or nymph or flower maiden – whatever she was – gave Julie her mom back. Maybe not physically, but rather with the knowledge of Rose’s continued engagement in Julie’s life. All three of her ghosts – former ghosts! – could see how much that meant to Julie and not one of them could bring themselves to be upset about it as a result. 

After a moment, Julie opened her eyes and looked her father square in the face. No hesitation in her features and a firm calm in her demeanor that Alex frankly envied. Resolved and confident, she insisted, “I’ll tell you everything you want to know, Dad, but first I need you to promise you won’t interrupt.” 

The two Molinas watched each other for a long time before Ray gave his daughter a nod in agreement. Moving to take a seat in an armchair catty-corner to the couch, he settled against the seatback and promised, “I promise.” 

Another deep breath gave Julie a moment to think about where to start before she looked down at Luke and smiled. “Dad, this is Luke Patterson, my person. We write music together and we just click in so many ways I can’t explain.” Reaching out to Reggie, she smoothed her fingertips across his cheek as she continued, “This is Reggie Carter - he’s my heart and he loves this family so much. Sometimes, when he’s upset he’ll hang out with you and it always makes him feel better. And of course, Alex Morgan, who might as well be my brother. According to him, he’s always been a little anxious, but he’s usually the one with all the common sense.” Alex chuckled, feeling his cheeks warm for the first time since he’d died. _Wow, this living thing is going to be weird._

Undeterred from Alex’s thoughts, Julie continued her tale. “In July of 1995 . . . they all died.” A small, sad smile curved up her lips as she continued, “And tonight, I brought them back to life.” 

What followed was an incredibly long and detailed story; starting from the night Luke ran away from home to the very moment Ray walked into Julie’s room and found them all together on the floor. Alex had been paying attention to Reggie, who split his attention between Luke, Julie, and Ray - Alex didn’t think he was the only one who could see the longing in Reggie’s eyes every time he looked over at Julie’s father. 

The man could see him now; if Ray rejected them, Reggie would be devastated. 

The silence stretched, Ray Molina clearly caught up in the ramifications of the story as he tried to assimilate all of this information into what he already knew - or thought he knew. After a moment, his shoulders relaxed and he smiled warmly as he insisted, “I told you once, _niña_ , that your phantoms were like angels to me.” He chuckled as he agreed, “I guess I didn’t realize how true that was.” 

Eyes moving to take in the boys, Alex listened as Ray continued, “All right then. If they’re human now, let’s get them what they’re going to need to be so.” The man stood, tone firm as he insisted, “Starting with getting _el joven_ to a doctor, so he has the medication he needs to get better and continue to sing with you.” 

Alex stared, honestly in shock, as the man came over to the couch. Tucking the blanket around Luke tenderly, he slipped his arms under the guitarist’s knees and shoulders and lifted him easily from the couch, cradling him against his chest as he moved towards the front door. He paused at the door, looking back at the other three members of the band as he insisted, “Are you three coming?”

Exchanging startled glances between them, all three bolted towards the door. Reggie pulled open the front door, with Alex banging his shoulder against the doorframe as he preceded Ray from the house, Julie behind them demanding, “But Papi, they’ve been dead. They don’t have identification or health insurance or . . . **anything**!” 

“You let me worry about that. Call your _tía_ ; she can stay with Carlos while we head to the doctors,” Ray promised, tone warm as he scanned over each other. Turning careful eyes on Alex, he questioned, “Can you see okay, _mijo_?” 

Alex knew what that word meant and couldn’t bring himself to lie as he confessed, “Everything’s really blurry, sir.” 

“All right then; we will get that taken care of too,” Ray insisted with a small smile. “And no more of this ‘sir’ business - you will call me Ray. You three took care of my _niña_ when I could not. Now that you need someone, I will do the same for you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:
> 
> Mija - Spanish - Daughter  
> Sí - Spanish - yes  
> Papi - Spanish - Daddy  
> niña - Spanish - girl  
> el joven - Spanish - the young (literally means the young man or young woman)  
> tía - Spanish - aunt/auntie  
> mijo - Spanish - Son


	2. Why Our Hearts Have Beats

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys - thank you all so much for being a part of this little verse I've created. I hope you continue to hang out with me, as we continue to see the boys adjust to being human and all the human frailties that come with that. Let me know what you think in the comments. 
> 
> Translations at the end. Also, a quick sketch out about the ages of the formerly ghosted teenagers now that they're alive.

[ ](https://imgur.com/rDHck57)

Reggie sat in a chair in the private room at the free clinic Ray had brought the boys to, his eyes fixed on his best friend as Luke dozed in the hospital bed less than an arm's length away. Dark hair limp with sweat and skin as pale as the sheets he laid on, the oxygen mask over Luke’s nose and mouth obscured a good majority of the guitarist's features.

Los Angeles in 1995 hadn't exactly been the pinnacle of air quality, but apparently twenty-five years of continued pollution had tanked the quality even worse than it had been then. While Luke's inhaler had helped to stop some of the symptoms, the effect didn't last as long as it used to. The doctors at the clinic whisked Luke away almost as soon as Ray pulled up, the teenager once again gasping for air and unable to breathe. 

It might have been the most terrifying experience of Reggie's life - both of them. 

Julie's voice was barely a whisper as she spoke from the doorway behind him, "Reg? How is he?" 

"Sleeping, I think," Reggie replied, twisting to look back at their lead singer with a lopsided smile. "How are **you**?" 

"Surprised by how much I didn't really know about my dad," she replied with a soft chuckle. Coming into the room, she stepped to the side of the bed, her fingers slipping into Luke's own even as she bent to kiss his cheek above the mask. "He's still got a fever," she murmured, the fingers of her free hand coming up to brush Luke's hair from his eyes. 

Reggie hummed in agreement, arms coming up to fold over his chest. "How's Alex?" 

"Dad's getting his eyes checked now," she replied with a twist of her mouth. "I don't know, I heard something about vision loss and potential astigmatism and glasses." Shrugging, she joked morosely , "Not like Alex won't look amazing in them." 

The bassist frowned, as he chimed in loyally, “You look amazing in yours.” 

Julie blushed a little at the announcement, her shoulders coming up as she snarked, “I look like a geek.” 

“Geeks are hot,” he countered confidently. After a moment, Reggie smirked a little, tone playful as he joked, "Bets on Willie swallowing his tongue when we find him again." 

Julie giggled a little, reaching out for Reggie's hand. "How are **you**?" 

"Tired," he replied with a chuckle. "I'm pretty sure I'll get used to it, but I almost miss being dead." 

Her eyes rolled, both of them turning to face Luke as the guitarist groaned, head tossing a little against the pillow as he fought to wake up. "Hey," Julie soothed, Reggie standing to join her. "It's okay, Luke. You're okay." 

A be-ringed hand reached up to fumble with the mask, green eyes heavy lidded and tired as they flicked between Julie and Reggie. "No, _mi luz_ ," she soothed, grasping his hand and guiding it back to the bed beside him, "leave that alone. It's helping, I promise." 

Luke's fingers tightened around Julie's, free hand skating across the sheets to grasp Reggie's, apparently willing to obey as long as he had both of them by the hand. "What happened?" he begged breathlessly, shoulders heaving as he tried to breathe. "Where . . .?"

"We're at the free clinic," Julie explained, hitching up onto the mattress at his hip. "Dad is . . . he's taking care of it, Luke, okay? So just get some rest - it's okay." 

"Lex?" he asked, eyes flicking to Reggie. 

"Getting his eyes checked," Reggie replied with a small smile. "Ray's taking good care of us, okay? We're all okay - you just need to rest and get better." 

He coughed a little, head rolling on the pillow as he closed his eyes. "I feel weird." 

Glancing at Julie with visible concern, Reggie smoothed his hand over Luke's hair insisting, "Yeah, the doctors are trying to figure out what's going on with you, man. Just close your eyes and go back to sleep. Julie and I won't leave you - we'll be right here, I promise." 

Julie bent to press a warm kiss to Luke's cheek, as close to the edge of the mask as she could get. "Love you, _luz_." 

He flashed her a tired smile, then let his eyes slip closed. "So tired." 

Reggie and Julie exchanged a long look, the bassist seeing the worry and fear in Julie's eyes that Reggie felt sure more than matched his own. Fortunately, neither of them was required to reply to the statement, Luke slipping back to sleep between one breath and the next. "What the hell is going on with him?" Julie murmured, head cocking as she considered Reggie. "Was it ever this bad?" 

"No," Reggie replied, sinking back into his chair though keeping Luke's hand in his own. "But the air quality was technically better back then – still not great, of course, but not as bad as this." 

"I know," Julie soothed him, reaching out to grasp Reggie's free hand, her thumb stroking a hypnotic circle against his skin. "But they're going to figure it out. He's going to be okay." 

Both turned back when the door to Luke's room opened, Alex bolting through the door with Ray following a little slower behind. The blond wore a pair of navy blue block framed glasses, which made his green eyes pop and - if Reggie wasn't already desperately in love with Luke - the bassist would have found himself with a crush on the drummer. "How is he?" Alex demanded, making a beeline to the bed like he'd been gone for days instead of an hour or so. 

"Sleeping," Julie replied with a smile. "Nice glasses." 

"I look like a geek," Alex grumped with a pout. 

"I'll bet Willie likes them too," their lead singer insisted, pulling out the big guns and earning a grin from Reggie as Alex blushed the color of a fresh tomato. “You look very dashing.” 

“You’re my friend,” the drummer reminded her, looking bashful. “You have to say that.” 

Ray’s hand ruffled absently through Alex’s hair as he stepped past the teenager, his accent warm and familiar as he insisted, “All right. Right now, the doctors are prepping to take your Luke back for a minor surgery.” 

“Surgery?!” Reggie and Julie blurted together, glancing at each other at the information. 

“Nothing’s wrong with him, _mija_ ,” Ray promised with a small smile. “It’s a twenty minute procedure, and then we can take him home.” 

“Then why do they need to do surgery?” 

“His pulmonologist is coming in in a second – she’ll go over all of it, okay?” Turning eyes toward Luke, he chuckled to see him asleep as he questioned, “I don’t think I have to ask how he’s feeling, hm?” 

“I’ve never seen him so . . . still,” Alex replied, mouth twisting nervously as he rounded the bed to take up position on the other side.

“Hmm,” Ray agreed with a soft hum. Hand coming to rest on Reggie’s shoulder, he squeezed lightly and drew Reggie’s eyes upwards toward him. “You have an appointment with Dr Raoul tomorrow, _mijo_ \- he’s a psychiatrist. He’s going to go through an evaluation with you; based on some of the information you filled out today, he thinks you might have dyslexia." 

"Dyslexia?" Reggie questioned, eyebrows furrowing a little in confusion. 

" _Sí_ ," he agreed with a nod. "It's a learning disability. It's not curable, but they can manage it now. Once we get you a diagnosis, we'll be able to get you what you need to do well once you're enrolled at school with Julie." 

Alex and Reggie glanced towards each other nervously, before Alex questioned nervously, "School? Don't we have to have . . . documents? For that?" 

"You do," Ray agreed with a smile, "but I have that being taken care of."

"Papi," Julie hedged, trailing off once she realized she didn't know what to say.

Her father chuckled, insisting, "Sometimes people need help, _niña_ , and you can't always give that help openly." 

Just then an older woman with greying blond hair and glasses stepped into the room, making notes in a chart. "Hello Ray," she greeted the man with a warm smile - whatever else was going on, it was clear these two at least knew each other well. "How is our patient?" 

"Sleeping," he replied, gesturing towards Luke in the bed. "I'd like you to meet my daughter, Julie, and her friends, Alex Morgan and Reggie Carter. Kids, this is Dr Pamela Khan; she's going to be Luke's pulmonologist ." 

"Hello, all of you," she greeted them with a warm smile. "I'm very pleased to meet you." Her smile brightened a little further as she addressed the bed next, "Good morning, Luke - how do you feel?" 

Reggie turned back to his best friend, huffing out a soft breath to see hazy green eyes watching the proceedings through thin slits. "Hi," he greeted her, the hand holding Julie's coming up in a small wave before dropping back to the bed. 

"Now, I know this is probably kind of scary for you kiddo, so I'm going to go over this fast. But if you have any questions, you stop me, okay?" 

He blinked at her, nodding slowly, but clearly intent on what she had to say. "Okay then, you have a kind of asthma called eosinophilic asthma - we don't normally see it in young adults your age, but it has been known to happen. So, I'm going to have Dr Maxwell take you back and we're going to put a port right here in your shoulder," she explained, touching the end of her pen to the spot. "Then we're going to send you home. In a week, you're going to come back and we're going to start you on a medication called Cinqair - it's an IV infusion and it'll be every four weeks. It's going to make you feel better, okay? I'm using this one even though you're not quite 18 yet, because it has the fewest side effects and will affect you least. I want you to live a life as normal as you can with this, okay?" 

Luke nodded, swallowing a little though still silent as he continued to pay attention to her. "All right. In addition to the infusions, I'm sending you home with a nebulizer and budesonide respules. Two times a day, once in the morning and once in the evening. You'll have a corticosteroid inhaler - Pulmicort - to use too, as well as your usual rescue inhaler and a tablet called Montelukast. The Montelukast is going to be a nightly med that's going to help reduce your risk of an asthma attack, maybe even before it starts, okay?" 

Reggie chuckled a little at the disgruntled twist of Luke's mouth under the mask, though Luke remained silent. Whether that was because of the mask or he couldn't catch his breath to get the air to vent his opinions, Reggie couldn't say. Either way, it didn't matter because the doctor seemed to understand even without the verbal help. "I know it sucks to need a pharmacy at home, but it's going to help you. And if it doesn't, we'll adjust until we find something that does, okay?"

"Why the port?” Alex questioned, Reggie glancing toward him to see the blond looking very focused on the woman. 

"It will be easier and more comfortable for Luke, than having one of the nurses have to find a vein and stick him every month for his infusion." A small smile curved her lips as she continued, "We'll give you some Emla cream that you'll apply about an hour before your infusion - it'll further numb the site and keep you comfortable throughout the infusion." 

"How long do the infusions take?" Julie questioned, a fierce frown on her lips as she kept herself between the doctor and the bed, almost as though she could protect Luke from any potential bad news just by being there. 

"The infusion typically takes about twenty to twenty-five minutes. As an average, he'll probably spend about thirty minutes with us a month. We'll continue to monitor him but based on everything I'm seeing in the chest X-rays and the blood work; this is the best treatment for him." 

Luke sounded tired, voice raspy and harsh as he whispered, "What about the band?" 

"Let me get you through your first infusion, okay?" Dr Khan chuckled with a smile. "After that, I see no reason you can't go back to playing with your band like normal. Keep your rescue inhaler close, just in case, and take your other medications as prescribed." Reaching out, she grabbed Luke's big toe gently and shook his leg, "I fully expect a thank you, when you kids win a Grammy." 

All four members of the band laughed with relief, the guitarist's own chuckles soundless. "Okay - I'm going to have Dr Maxwell take you back to get the port installed. Then we're going to have you do tonight's nebulizer treatment, so we can monitor you and see if we need to adjust the dosage. After that, you can go home, okay?" 

"Thank you." 

"You are very welcome, kiddo." Looking up at Ray, she insisted, “Let me know if there’s anything else you need, Ray.” 

“Thank you, Pamela,” he replied with a small smile. “You’re a saint.” 

“I’ll bet you say that to all the girls,” she scoffed with a roll of her eyes, before disappearing from the room. 

Feeling confident that his best friend was going to be okay for the first time since the band realized Luke was suffering, Reggie turned to the bed and bent to press his forehead against Luke’s own. The guitarist gave another one of those soundless chuckles, free hand coming up to ruffle Reggie’s hair fondly. “I’ll be okay, Reg,” he insisted tiredly, “you heard her.” 

The four members of the band turned to face Ray as he spoke to the three. “I’ll leave Julie here with you until the nurses come to get you, but the boys can come with me to get their pictures taken for their IDs. All of us will be here when you wake up, okay?” 

“Yes sir,” Luke whispered, eyes slipping closed under the pressure of Reggie’s lips against his forehead. “See ya soon, Reg.” 

“You too,” the bassist vowed, smoothing back dark hair and moving to join Ray at the door. Alex said his own goodbyes, then joined them. As they were leaving, Reggie turned back to look at the two and found Julie singing softly to the guitarist as she sat on the bed beside him and smoothed her fingers along the line of his forearm as Luke drifted to sleep once more. 

Hours later, Luke leaned hard on Julie’s shoulder as the lead singer guided him through the front door of the house and into the foyer. Reggie followed closely, carrying the backpack with all of Luke’s new medications and equipment, smiling as Luke pulled away from Julie and took a seat on the bottom step of the stairs. He leaned one shoulder against the banister, temple dropping against it as he closed his eyes and sighed. 

“You okay, man?” 

“Tired,” Luke agreed, eyes still closed but hand groping outwards for Julie’s as the singer crouched in front of him. 

“How’s your shoulder?” 

“It aches,” he replied with a twist of his mouth. “I know Dr Khan said after awhile I wouldn’t notice it anymore, but for the moment, I can definitely feel it.” 

Alex came into the house next, Ray following behind and closing the door as he called into the house, “Victoria?” 

“Here!” the man’s sister-in-law called, bustling into view. 

She all but skidded to a stop, eyes flaring wide at the sight of the boys in the foyer. “ _Dios mio_ ,” she breathed, scanning over each of them. “Are these Julie’s Phantoms?” 

“ _Sí, tía_ ,” Julie agreed with a wan smile. 

Ray reached to take her shoulders in his hands as he explained calmly, “ _Los muchachos_ arrived earlier tonight, but Luke had a bad asthma attack, so we went to the clinic to get him looked at.” 

“Oh, the poor thing,” Victoria murmured, her eyes turning towards where Luke had literally fallen asleep leaning against the banister. 

Reggie smiled at her as she reached to smooth back Luke’s hair, then turned to her brother-in-law insisting, “I will go up and get some of the beds made. Carlos is in the kitchen. I tried to send him back to bed, but you know your son when he gets a thought in his head.” 

“The little man has opinions, that’s for sure,” Reggie chuckled with a grin. 

The warm, fond smile on Ray’s face as he turned to Reggie filled the bassist with a quiet joy he’d never known with a parental figure. It might be weird to wish Ray was his father at the same time he had a crush on the man’s daughter, but Reggie didn’t think anyone would blame him considering the precarious situation with his own parents growing up. “Fond of him, hm?” 

“He’s a good kid,” Alex agreed with a smile. 

Amusement curled the corners of Ray’s mouth as he called, “Carlos! _Mijito_ , come and say hello to our new house guests.” 

All of them could hear the squeal of Carlos’ shoes on the hardwood as he skidded around the corner, eyes going wide at the sight of the three former ghosts. “The ghosts!” he cried, hands coming up in a celebratory cheer. “I knew we were being haunted.” 

“Not so much anymore, little man,” Alex chuckled, arms folding over his chest. 

“Aww man,” Carlos groaned, arms dropping as he slumped. “Honestly, being haunted by a ghost band was the coolest thing this family had going for it.” 

“Ha ha,” Ray snarked, eyes rolling as he insisted, “All of this sass – where did it come from, hm?” 

“Mom,” Carlos announced with a shrug. After a moment, his eyes narrowed as he questioned, “So, I know you guys died eating hot dogs. Does that mean we can’t have hot dogs for dinner anymore?” 

Reggie could feel the horror pulling at the edges of his face, seeing his own disgust mirrored in Alex’s own features at the very thought. Reggie used to love hot dogs, but he didn’t think he’d ever be able to see one without remembering the dark room the bandmates spent twenty-five years in after they died. Ray’s tone was conciliatory as he insisted, “We’ll figure out something else for you, Carlos.” Gesturing to Alex, Ray began to introduce the blond to his son before a soft, hesitant knock sounded from the door behind him. Turning to it in confusion, Julie’s father looked down at his watch and blinked. “It’s two in the morning. Who on earth could that be?” 

Despite his confusion, the man moved to the door to answer the knock. As the panel pulled open, it revealed a tallish young man with long dark hair, wearing a pair of black shorts and a cropped tie-dye shirt. Reggie and Julie exchanged a warm grin between them, as Alex all but lunged forward, tone joyous as he shouted, “Willie!” 

Willie pulled off his cracked grey helmet with a lopsided smile, accepting the fierce embrace as he murmured against the other teenager’s shoulder, “Heya hot dog.” 

Reggie grinned at the reunion, the two exchanging rapid-fire commentary on how Willie had returned to the land of the living, even as Julie spoke up from where she’d settled beside Luke. “Dad, I’ll like you to meet Alex’s not-boyfriend, Willie. Willie, this is my dad, Ray Molina.” 

“Hi Mr Molina. Nice to meet you.” 

Still visibly startled by the teenager’s appearance on his doorstep, Reggie felt affection swell into his throat as nevertheless Ray opened the door wider, insisting, “Hello Willie. Come on in – the more the merrier.” 

Turning to Julie, Reggie reiterated something he’d said months ago and had never felt more true than in this moment. “Best Dad Ever.” 

Pride and joy gleamed in the features of the woman he felt sure he loved, as she beamed up at her father. “Yeah . . . he’s definitely pretty awesome.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations: 
> 
> mi luz - Spanish - my light (Julie's nickname for Luke)  
> mija/mijo - Spanish - daughter/son  
> Sí - Spanish - yes  
> niña - Spanish - girl  
> Dios mio - Spanish - my God  
> tía - Spanish - aunt/auntie  
> Los muchachos - Spanish - the boys  
> Mijito - Spanish - diminutive for _mijo_ ; literally "little son"
> 
> Teenagers:  
> Willie - 19 - graduated from high school already  
> Alex - 17, almost 18 - Junior in high school.  
> Luke - had JUST turned 17 when he died - Junior in high school  
> Reggie - still technically 16, though only a few months shy at the time he died - Sophomore in high school  
> Julie and Flynn - both are 16 - Sophomores in high school


	3. A Blend of Voices

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Thank you all for being so amazing and supportive of this verse. Your continued support for this verse means the world to me. 
> 
> That being said, there will be a change to Harmony. I am turning on comment moderation, as there has been hatred directed my way which I find no need to associate with long term. I love each and every one of your comments, but I will not tolerate hatred or cruelty in my comment sections, especially since I know some of us enjoy reading the comments a story gets. Please know I look forward to all of your thoughts, and I can't wait to hear what you have to think. 
> 
> Translations are at the end, per usual. Thank you and enjoy!

[ ](https://imgur.com/rDHck57)

Flynn Ryder hadn't heard from her best friend since last Wednesday.

Okay, that wasn't entirely true. She had received a single text on Thursday morning - at the Godforsaken hour of three am, as though that time existed for sane or rational humans - informing Flynn she was fine, but she'd be out of school for the rest of the week. While it didn't use to be abnormal for Julie to have a "bad day" and need to stay home from school for a day after her mother died, those occurrences had been less frequent in the months since her Phantoms crash-landed - literally - into her life. The appearance of her idiot ghosts, them bringing music back into her life, ended further instances full stop. 

If for no other reason, Flynn definitely approved. 

Either way, every single text Flynn had sent her best friend over the last two days had been left on "Read" and the girl was officially done with being ignored. Something was going on - either with Julie or with her Phantoms - and Flynn did not appreciate being left out of the loop. As their manager, she had a right to Know Things. 

Honestly, though, the worst part about being left on "Read" might have been Nick Sinclair. First, the lacrosse player was acting **weird** , even for the boyfriend of the Demon Candi. Secondly, he'd gotten back together with the Demon Candi, which Flynn had not expected - Nick had seemed really into Julie, and Flynn really kind of wanted to smack him for being so wishy-washy about it all. And lastly, despite going back to Carrie, Nick continued to ask about Julie almost nonstop now that she wasn't in school. 

The whole thing seemed super suspicious and, as a result, Flynn was absolutely losing her mind. Texts were getting her nowhere, so it was time for some personal intervention. 

Which might explain why she got out of bed before any sane human being should even be awake, just to make sure she arrived at the Molina house at exactly 7:30. Julie and Flynn had been best friends since the fourth grade - Flynn knew better than anyone that grilling Julie about **anything** was best undertaken when the singer was in that fuzzy place between sleepy and awake. 

She knocked first, of course - she wasn't a complete heathen - before barging into the house, already calling for Julie. Flynn was heading for the stairwell, before slamming to a halt at the sight from the living room. Both fists came up to rub at her eyes, sure she was seeing things, except that when her hands came down, the picture remained. 

Julie sat at the end of her couch, frowning at Flynn’s sudden entrance and way more awake than Flynn expected. Julie looked away from Flynn, her expression softening from a frown to one of adoration, and Flynn blinked at what else she could see. In one hand Julie held the television remote while the other hand smoothed through the dark hair of the boy curled up under a blanket next to her, his head in her lap. The mask over his face, connected to some kind of hissing machine on the coffee table, obscured most of his features but Flynn had only seen her best friend look that adoring at only one boy in the last three months. 

A particular ghost boy, made of very cute air, named Luke. 

Luke didn't seem to be awake - eyes closed and breathing slowly. His shoulders were bare above the blanket and Flynn could just barely make out the edge of a white gauze square taped to his uppermost shoulder. "First of all, since when do ghosts need oxygen masks!?" Flynn demanded, stabbing a finger in the direction of the machine on the table. 

Of course, it was about then Flynn noticed the other boy sitting on the floor in front of the couch. Dark haired and green-eyed, he wore a pair of ripped black jeans and a black tank top with a red plaid flannel tied around his waist. That luxurious dark hair flopped into his eyes as he turned to look at her, Flynn instantly recognizing him as Julie's ghost bassist, Reggie. He smiled at her, the expression small and calm as he waved, "Hey Flynn." 

"Hi, Reggie," she greeted, before suddenly being struck with the reality of the situation in front of her. "Wait . . . better question, why can I **see** your **_GHOSTS_**!?"

Reggie chuckled a little, pushing himself to his feet. "I'm gonna go let Ray know to set another place at the table?" 

"Thanks, Reg," Julie agreed, a warm smile on her face as the two girls watched Reggie lean down to press a kiss to Luke's temple, then lean over to do the same to Julie's own. 

As soon as the bassist was out of the room, Flynn stormed over and demanded, "Oh, you have some **explaining** to do, Julianna Rosita Molina. Start talking. Right now." 

Julie chuckled a little, a warm smile on her face as she teased, "Are you sure you want to know?" 

"Come on, Julie. I can see the eye candy, which means your dad can see the eye candy. Not to mention, the super cute air you've been crushing on, is shirtless under the blanket. Which means your dad can see the **shirtless** super cute air eye candy laying in your lap!" Flynn rambled, feeling herself getting breathless as she rambled on. One hand came up to press against her forehead as she groaned and sank onto the coffee table next to the machine there. "Explain." 

"The boys are human." 

Flynn blinked. Then blinked a couple more times for good measure. "I did not hear that right." 

"You did," Julie chuckled with a grin. "It happened Wednesday night. It was . . . a whole thing." 

"So, the cute air **isn't** cute air anymore?"

"Nope – just a cute boy now," Julie replied with a smirk, her features softening as she turned her attention down to Luke. 

Lips quirking a little bit, Flynn chuckled and insisted, “Remember when I said that Luke was next level?” Julie chuckled a little, nodding her agreement. Flynn grinned as she promised, “You can forget I said that now.” 

“I’ll do that,” Julie laughed; Flynn marveled at how much happier her best friend seemed. Yeah, she’d been happy when her Phantoms were **actual** Phantoms, but now that they were human Julie seemed almost transcendent. It was a good look on her friend – Flynn could get used to this. 

"So, what's up with the mask and the machine?" Stabbing a finger in the direction of the gauze, Flynn blinked when Julie moved to block the action almost without thought. "And what's that?" 

"When Luke was still alive - the first time - he had really bad asthma. Apparently, now that he's alive again, he **still** has really bad asthma." 

"So, what is this?" 

"It's his nebulizer," Julie replied, with the kind of "duh!" inflection that made Flynn pout. "Don't give me that look, Flynn. You remember Libby in fifth grade - she had to use this thing during school after PE sometimes." 

"Okay fair, but why the gauze pad?"

"When they came back to life on Wednesday night, we ended up having to take Luke to the clinic because he had like three asthma attacks in a row.” Sketching a circle in the air over the gauze, she continued, “As for this, it’s covering his port." 

"Because that tells me anything, Julie, come on!" Flynn whined, with a pout. “What is a port?”

"Luke has to have an IV infusion every month, to help manage his symptoms. They'll use the port instead of having to find a vein to stick him every month,” Julie explained through fond laughter. “Dr. Khan said it would be more comfortable for him. Right now it’s really sore, cause it’s still healing, so anything laying over it – like a shirt or hell, even the pad – is really painful. Dad doesn’t make him wear a shirt much right now, as long as he keeps the blanket over his shoulders.”

Flynn startled, as next to her the machine clicked off. "Reggie!" Julie called, lighting up when the bassist came back into the room. "It's done." 

He nodded, coming back to kneel in front of the couch. Between the two of them, they were able to get the mask off the guitarist without waking him up, Reggie folding up the tubing carefully and placing it back in the machine before moving the whole thing into a cabinet against the wall. Flynn watched the well-practiced routine with wide eyes, her tone confused and awed as she insisted, "Oh Jules - I have so many questions." 

Julie chuckled, as she teased her best friend, “Color me shocked, Flynn.” 

Reggie took a seat on the floor in front of her, looking back at the two girls as he insisted, “Ray’s setting another place for Flynn. Apparently, he thought she might show up, so he’d already made enough to include her.”

Julie nodded her understanding, free hand reaching out to stroke through Reggie’s hair as he leaned back against her shins. Flynn’s eyes narrowed, as she mused, "So, this is new." 

The two teenagers stared at her for a moment, taking in the gesture Flynn made between the two of them before realization dawned. Julie snatched her hand back and Reggie all but launched off the floor, taking a seat in an armchair outside of Julie's reach. Cocking an eyebrow, the younger girl insisted, "I didn't say it was a bad thing - just new." 

Reggie and Julie caught each other’s eyes, and Flynn sighed at the visible longing in their features. Picking up a pillow, she threw it at the bassist, insisting, "Girl talk now. Get lost." 

The teenager frowned, eyes flicking down towards the other ghost - **former** ghost; OMG, this was going to make her crazy! - to which Flynn waved away the concern. "He's sleeping. He's fine. Go . . . now!" 

Julie's eyes rolled, before nodding when Reggie cocked an eyebrow at her in question. "We'll be fine. Flynn's harmless." 

"Harmless!?" the other girl demanded in mock outrage, earning laughter from both of them, before Reggie stood and left, though clearly reluctant to do so. Once he was gone, Flynn leaned forward, "You are a lucky girl." 

"Flynn . . ." Julie protested, earning a firm shake of Flynn's head. "Um, no. No arguments. You are - how dare you?" Waving away any further protest, Flynn continued, "Girl, you're amazing! And these two idiots are at least smart enough to see that for themselves!" Julie blushed a little bit, earning laughter from Flynn as she continued, "Own it, girl. You deserve this." 

"But . . . isn't it . . . kind of . . . greedy?" 

"Hell no, Jules!" Flynn insisted leaning back and giving her best friend the patented Flynn Smirk of Approval. "You have two adorable, and VERY **HOT** boys who want to love you, and spoil you, and most probably do naughty, naughty things to you." 

"Flynn!" Julie practically shrieked, her cheeks turning a little pink with her blush. "They live in my house! And my dad is in the kitchen!" 

"Okay, but it's not like I'm wrong either, am I?" 

"I don't even know how Reggie feels about me. We're just . . ." Trailing off, the singer looked down at the boy still sleeping in her lap. Fingers smoothing through his hair, she sighed and continued, "Both of us are really worried about Luke. According to Reg and Alex, it wasn't this bad . . . back then." 

"Okay first of all – if that boy isn’t absolutely besotted with you, I’ll eat my favorite beret.” Smirking as the mental image made Julie laugh, Flynn continued, her smirk softening to a fond smile, “Secondly, Jules, we're in the 2020s now. Honestly, I'm pretty sure there have been enough advances over the last 25 years, the doctors got this. Right?" 

"Yeah, we hope so,” she replied with a soft smile, eyes directed downwards onto the guitarist as she smoothed her fingers through his hair. “Dr. Khan said we would need to wait for the port to completely heal, but his first transfusion is next Wednesday. If everything goes well, he can come to school the Monday after that." 

"Then there you go! You're gonna stroll into school, on the arm of two Gorgeous Phantoms, and wow everyone." Flynn grinned with a wink, her tone turned teasing as she joked, "I want pictures of the Demon Candi's face. Julie, do not deny me this pleasure." 

“As if I could stop you, Flynn.” 

“That’s my girl.” 

Both girls turned at the sound of footsteps on the stairs, Carlos' laughter accompanied by voices she didn't recognize. Julie's drummer - Alan? Alec? No, Alex! That's it! - had Carlos on his back for a piggy-back ride, another boy with them with long dark hair and a sly grin as he teased Carlos. Alex stumbled to a stop at the sight of Flynn, eyes going wide for a moment before greeting them both cautiously, "Hey Julie. Morning Flynn - you're here early." 

"I got tired of waiting for details. I have only so much patience, and it was long past out," Flynn replied with a shrug. "How are you, Alex?" 

"Alive and kicking," he replied with a big grin. “It’s an improvement on being dead at least.”

Turning her attention onto the other boy, Flynn's eyes narrowed as she questioned, "I don't think I know you." 

"This is Willie Takayama," Julie replied with a teasing giggle. "Alex's not-boyfriend." 

Both girls' smiles grew as the two boys looked at each other shyly, Alex's white boy cheeks turning practically crimson. _Oh, these two have it **bad**._ "Okay, so the pining?" Flynn questioned playfully. "It's giving me cavities." 

Julie giggled a little bit, clearly amused as she remarked playfully, "Honestly if you'd seen them when Willie first showed up Thursday morning, there's no way you would have believed they weren't dating." 

"Oooh, give me deets!" Flynn announced, turning back to her best friend with a wide grin and eyes. Out of the corner of her eyes, she could Alex’s cheeks getting even more red – which honestly, that was impressive. She hadn’t even thought that was possible. "Honestly, those cheeks were made to blush. Look at that color."

Julie chuckled as Alex snarked, "I'm sorry - did we invite you for breakfast? What did I miss?" 

Flynn's jaw dropped as she stared up at him, her tone dripping with snark as she replied, "Excuse you! I do **not** need an invitation." Looking up as Mr. Molina came into the living room, she threw a hand out in his direction and insisted, "Isn't that right, Mr. Molina?" 

"Good morning, Flynn," the man greeted her with a fond smile. "Yes, you are always welcome for breakfast. Even at the hour of eight am on a weekend." 

Eyes narrowing, Flynn turned back to Julie at the reminder, demanding, "Which reminds me? What the hell are you doing awake so early anyway?" 

Julie only gave a small shrug, her fingers continuing to stroke through Luke's hair. The guitarist seemed to finally be waking up, eyebrows furrowing even as he rolled to bury his face against Julie's stomach. The older girl chuckled a little, giving a gentle tug on his hair as she teased, "You do actually have to be awake to eat breakfast, Luke." 

"Five more minutes," he protested, nose wrinkling a little bit before he groaned. "Ugh - I hate the taste of that stuff. It’s gross." 

The other occupants of the room laughed, amused as Luke smacked his lips together with a disgusted look on his face. Alex dropped Carlos gently to his feet, before moving to help Julie coax Luke upwards. Checking the tape on the gauze, Alex looped Luke’s other arm over his shoulders and levered him from the couch. "Let's head upstairs so you can rinse out your mouth before breakfast." 

Flynn smirked a little, watching the guitarist behave not unlike a grumpy puppy as Alex prodded him up the stairs and out of sight. Ray ruffled his daughter's hair, insisting, "I'll be helping Reggie in the kitchen when you two are done with your gossip sesh."

Both girls beamed at him, earning laughter from the man as he shooed Carlos into the kitchen with him. Rounding on Julie, Flynn pouted at her. "Okay, yeah," she insisted once the two teens were out of earshot, "I officially hate you. All this eye candy, and not a one for me. No fair!" 

Her poor best friend looked panicked, insisting virulently, “I told you, I was being greedy.” 

“No, you're not,” Flynn scolded with a roll of her eyes. “It’s totally awesome and I am beyond thrilled for you.” 

Pushing up from the couch, Julie extended her hand to her best friend with a playful grin, “It’s okay Flynn – we’ll find you a boy eventually.” 

Following her best friend into the kitchen Flynn couldn't hold back the wrinkle of her nose at the very idea. “Ew no – boys are smelly and gross,” she protested with a frown. “I just like to look at them.” 

Julie chuckled, stepped into her dad's arms as she hugged him fiercely, "Morning, Dad." 

"Good morning, _niña_. Any chance you could subscribe to that theory of boys being smelly and gross?" the man greeted his daughter warmly. The dry look on her face earned laughter, the man bending to kiss the top of her head, before he asked, "How was your boy last night? I heard the coughing around midnight." 

"I hope the infusion helps, Dad," Julie replied, cuddling closer. "Alex said he probably needs more pillows. That way he can sit himself up a little bit more while he's asleep. Apparently, that helped before.”

"We need to go get your boys some new clothes for school today, anyway," Ray agreed with a smile. "We'll pick up some new pillows while we're out and about too." 

" _¡Gracias Papi!_ " she cheered with a beaming grin, pushing up on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. Glancing over at the bassist, she cocked her head as the two teenagers watched Reggie wield the crepe paddle effortlessly. “What’s Reggie doing?” 

“Making the crepes,” Ray answered with a fond smile. “The boy seems to be an excellent cook – honestly, it’s nice to have the help. If he hadn’t said something, I might have burned them.” 

Julie beamed up at her father before skipping towards Reggie with a giggle. The bassist smiled down at her, the two smacking at each other before Julie tucked under his arm and let Reggie continue to work. Flynn’s eyes narrowed a little as she watched the two, tone speculative as she questioned, “Does she seem . . . more Julie to you?” 

“Isn’t it nice to see?” Ray questioned with a grin and a wink. 

Forced to consider that, Flynn felt her lips pulling into a wide, bright grin. “You’re right. It is.” Twirling on her toes to face the long-haired young man still leaning against the wall near the kitchen door with a small smile, she demanded, “Okay, you’re not one of Julie’s ghost himbos, so did Jules meet you? Honestly, I have so many questions – I had better get some decent answers during breakfast. And Takayama? You don’t look Japanese.” 

Willie shrugged. “Grandpa was Japanese; my Mom was Blackfoot.”

Objectively Willie Takayama was deliciously handsome, though his socks were a little out there. That crop top and puka shell necklace though – the look was definitely working for him, and if Flynn had been at all interested in doing more with boys than looking at them, she might have been curious. Except then she’d be getting in the way of what was clearly an adorable crush on Alex, and **those two** were even cuter than Willie’s crop top. The teenager shook his head in amusement as he pushed up from his lean, tossing his arm over Flynn’s shoulder and promising, “I’m pretty sure Julie intends to tell you everything. As for me, I pancaked a cute ghost on my board and the rest is history.” 

Flynn’s eyes narrowed a little, as she considered the little bit of information he provided before rolling her eyes and insisting, “Okay, that tells me nothing.” Pushing gently away, she stormed towards her best friend, already shouting, “All right Julie! Tell me everything!” 

Julie’s laughter filled the house, and Flynn didn’t think she’d heard anything more beautiful than that in entirely too long. Whatever else was going on, the Phantoms suddenly becoming human had done a world of good for Julie. And if this was good for Julie, then Flynn was more than good with it all too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little author's note about Willie's last name. I know how proud BooBoo is of his Blackfoot heritage. I searched far and wide for a Blackfoot surname that I believe worked with Willie, but didn't find anything that I thought would suit the character we know and love so well. As a result, I have turned to a different aspect of Booboo's heritage in search of his last name instead. I'm sorry if this offends anyone - it is not my intent in the least. 
> 
> Translations: 
> 
> niña - Spanish - girl  
> ¡Gracias Papi! - Spanish - Thanks Daddy


	4. A Shadow In the Mind

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all! Thank you for your patience as I continue to navigate the world right now. Things are crazy and stressful, but I ALWAYS have this series on my mind, I promise. XD Thank you for being amazing and awesome. 
> 
> Translations are at the bottom, as per usual. Thank you again, and enjoy!

  
[](https://imgur.com/rDHck57)  


A Shadow In The Mind

There were days Ray Molina forgot to answer to his name. 

Understandable really, as Ray Molina would be a relatively new name for the man to answer to. Once upon a time, too many years ago to really count anymore, Ray Molina had answered to the name Raymundo Lara de Molina. Raymundo had been a young boy living with his parents in Tenochtitlan, the Lost City of the Tenochca. 

Or, as they were better known, the Aztec. 

Despite the claims of the conquistadors who captured the city all those years ago, the Aztec people were too powerful and too many to completely destroy. Instead, his ancestors chose to lie in wait, making their lives underground, while biding their time and waiting until they could rise into prominence once more. They swore that, one day, when the colonizers least expected it, the Aztec would rise up from their forced obscurity and take their places at the top of their temples once again. 

Over the years, however, the Aztec people found themselves more and more assimilated with their conquerors. Their religion faded away, replaced by the Catholicism, with its worship of the Son and the Holy Virgin. Human sacrifices to the gods of their ancestors ceased, and the gods fell from their Thirteen Heavens. Without sacrifices and worship to remind them, many of Raymundo's people forgot their gods. 

Gods lose their power, once they've been forgotten. Gods do not appreciate the loss of their power and will go out in search of new avenues through which to acquire it. 

Granted, a great many of the Aztec gods were not truly gods at all. Higher beings, definitely, they remained immortal as the world sought to leave them within the annals of history. Their stories were told as mere myth, and their battles dismissed as fantastical. In the cases of some, this will to forget was a blessing, allowing them to thrive in a bloodless future, surrounded by all the things they loved most. For others, however, such dismissal brought out the evil that had always resided within them. 

None had ever proven to be more vile or evil than the god-turned-demon, Tezcatlipoca.

Staring at the ceiling over his bed, Ray wondered absently on why the Moon Goddess he had worshiped since childhood had elected to keep the demon's affiliation with the Hollywood Ghost Club from him. As much as he hated to admit it, the idea of the demon using a ghost to do his dirty work wasn't exactly a surprise - Tezcatlipoca had never been one to get his own hands dirty, if he could find someone else to do it for him. 

Ray lay awake, waiting for the telltale sounds of coughing to come from the bedroom Luke and Willie had been sharing with Carlos since the four ghost teenagers ended up in his home after being resurrected. The young man's struggles with his asthma almost eradicated Ray's concern over the teenager's feelings for Ray's daughter. The next day would be Luke's first IV infusion, and Ray sincerely hoped the introduction of the new medication would do more to help the kid. Watching both Julie and Reggie work themselves into balls of anxiety every time the young man found himself gasping for air felt like hell. Furthermore, a whisper in the back of Ray's mind reminded him of the unsettling similarities in Luke's difficulty breathing to Rose's own struggles in her last days. 

Unsettling similarities Ray knew Julie had to be seeing for herself. 

Thinking of his daughter's bassist made Ray smile. Of the three members of Julie's band, it had taken longest for Reggie to interact with Ray. He hadn't understood the young man's reticence with him; it had taken Julie explaining how fond of him Reggie was - and why - for Ray to see that Reggie was missing something he thought he couldn't have anymore. 

The first time Ray had invited the bassist to help him in the kitchen earned a thrilled grin unlike anything Ray had ever seen out of his own children. Not to mention, the young man was a **very** good cook. Honestly, Ray was more than happy to leave any and all cooking to him, if he was willing to complete the chore.

Fortunately for everyone, Reggie seemed genuinely willing to accept the job. Thank goodness - Ray could feed his children, but that didn't mean he did it at all well. 

Part of Ray worried about his daughter. He could not be the only one to notice the way the three of them - Luke, Reggie, and Julie - all looked at each other. Personally, he had nothing against his daughter finding love with more than one person - love was love, and everyone deserved it - but he knew the rest of the world wouldn't be so kind to his sweet girl. 

His thoughts jarred to a sharp stop as, right on time, the sound of harried coughing made its way into his room. Throwing back his covers, he grabbed the shirt he'd thrown across the bed in preparation for such an awakening and hauled it on as he left his own room and headed down the hallway. Reggie had a tight hold on Julie, her eyes wide as she stared at the bedroom, the bassist speaking in a warm, calm tone as he tried to soothe her. "Go back to your room, _niña_ ," Ray ordered firmly, with a small smile. "If he needs to go down to the couch again tonight, I will come get you both." 

" _Sí Papi,_ " Julie replied, her fingers all but claws on Reggie's arms as the two watched the man walk into the bedroom. 

Willie was already crouched next to Luke's bed, shaking the inhaler they left on the nightstand beside Luke's bed. As for Luke himself, the guitarist looked pale and embarrassed as both teens turned to look towards the door, his hand already shaking as he reached for the offered inhaler, and the chamber attached to it. Ray didn’t pretend to understand much about asthma, but he could see how much Luke appreciated having what Pamela called “a spacer” attached to the inhaler, when he sealed his lips to the end and depressed two quick pumps into the sealed space. Especially considering how he struggled to take in steady breaths of the medication. 

The older teen released the inhaler once Luke had it firmly, before getting up from the floor and moving backwards as he informed Ray, "This is his first dose tonight." 

Ray nodded his understanding and knelt on the floor next to the bed, one hand coming up to curl around the back of Luke's neck as Luke breathed in the medication slowly. "You're all right, _chico_ ," he soothed, thumb smoothing firm circles against the heartbeat he could see pulsing frantically against his skin. “Just breathe – nice and slow.” 

It took a few minutes for Luke to finish the medication in the chamber and lower the apparatus to his lap. "Sorry," he breathed, eyelashes wet with tears. Relinquishing the inhaler to Ray's keeping, he slumped back against the mattress and let his eyes slip closed. "This sucks. I don't remember it sucking this much." 

Ray chuckled a little, leaning forward to remove the gauze still taped to the port. Though completely healed, the port still caused the teen discomfort if he laid on it wrong. "How's your shoulder?" he questioned, peeling the gauze away and pushing gently against the skin around it. 

"Sore," Luke replied, eyes fixed on the underside of the bunk over him. The teen might be a little old for a bunk bed, but Ray didn't have that many rooms. Fortunately for all of them, if Carlos was awake in the top bunk over him, he was at least pretending to be otherwise for Luke's sake. "I'll be all right.” Closing his eyes, the teenager lied through his teeth as he promised, “I feel fine now." 

"Hmm," Ray replied with a noncommittal hum, rummaging in the bedside table for fresh gauze and tape, before covering the port once again. Then his fingers found their way into the boy's sweaty hair, eyes roaming over his flushed and damp features. "Do you need to change positions?" 

Luke swallowed a little, before heaving upwards in unspoken answer. Between the two of them, they managed to stack a veritable mountain of pillows against the headboard. The dark-haired boy was nearly seated upright by the time he laid back again, another pillow tucked against the ported shoulder to prevent him from rolling on it once he fell asleep again. Ray cupped the guitarist’s cheek, insisting firmly, “You send Willie if you need me, _sí_?”

The boy nodded his understanding, dark green eyes fixed on where his fingers fidgeted with the coverlet over his legs and stomach. Not wanting to push him, instead Ray leaned into the bunk and pressed a quick kiss into the unruly mop of hair on his head, before backing out and away again. “Sleep well, _joven_ \- your infusion is early in the morning, tomorrow. Pamela said to be there early, since it is your first one, and we will need to apply the lidocaine an hour before we go.” 

“Yes sir,” Luke whispered. Ray almost made it to the door, before he heard the guitarist speak again, “I’m sorry.” 

Stepping back into the room, the man could feel his eyebrows furrowing as he questioned, “For what?”

The guitarist didn't take his eyes from the covers, his fingers pinching and pulling and twisting the material, shoulders starting to hunch upwards the longer Ray continued standing there, waiting for an answer. All at once, the answer to the question he'd asked hit Ray like a baseball to the solar plexus. 

_For what?_ he'd asked, thoughtless and unknowing. But shouldn't he have known in some way? Julie told him about Luke's troubles with his parents all those years ago; told him how much Luke regretted running out on them, even when they tried to force him to abandon his dreams. 

Alex told him about the asthma attack during a gig that landed Luke in a hospital for three days. The gig that caused that final fight . . . the final fight that drove Luke to leave instead of staying and giving up his music. _What else could this boy be feeling sorry for but being a burden?_ Head shaking at his own question, he lifted one hand to push back through his hair. 

_**Bendita Diosa** , how many ways could these boys find to break his heart?_

Coming back to the bed, Ray took a careful seat on the edge of the mattress, his hands moving to grasp Luke's and rescue his blankets from the twisting. "Luke," he insisted, bending a little to force the boy to look him in the eyes, "you never have to say you're sorry for being here. I am glad to have you here; you and Reggie and Alex and Willie. You boys saved my Julie from silence and pain. You did more for her in a month than I could do in a year, and I will never be able to thank you enough for that." One hand reached out to curve around the boy's cheek, thumb soothing against the curve of bone under skin as he continued, "I will always do what I can for you boys. You have my word." 

Luke bit down on his lower lip, watching Ray carefully and with the kind of cautious that indicated some small ounce of disbelief. "I know my treatments have to be costing you a lot and I don’t want to be a burden. I can pay you . . ."

Ray cut that thought off instantly, tone firm as he insisted, "No, you will not." 

Two quick blinks clearly conveyed the young man's surprise at Ray's reply. Tone hesitant and confused, he managed only a stammered "But . . ." before the words trailed off. 

"Pamela owes me favors, _joven_ ," Ray insisted firmly, refusing to allow this young man to believe he owed anyone anything for the medications Ray had procured for him at the woman's insistence. "Even if she did not, it is a free clinic - by definition, it costs us nothing. And even if it did -" Luke start to speak but Ray bulldozed right over him "- I'd pay it. You're family, _mijo_. And in this house, that means no one is a burden. Once you're up and about you'll get chores to do, same as Julie and Carlos and the rest, but for now, your only job is to get well."

Luke still looked doubtful, and Ray's heart couldn't take it anymore. He squeezed Luke's other shoulder. "Anyway, if anything happened to you it'd break my daughter's heart all over again. And she's had enough sadness already. So, rest up and tomorrow we'll go to your infusion, so you can feel better. And then I expect there will be far too many late-night jam sessions and missed homework assignments and way, way too much laundry, but it will be worth it. Because you are family, and we love you."

With that, Ray patted Luke on the shoulder and stood. He checked on Carlos and winked at his son who was definitely not sleeping, and tousled Willie's hair before turning off the light and leaving the door cracked.

The light from the hallway caught on the tears running down Luke's face, but Ray decided not to mention it. He had a feeling they were going to have this conversation several times, and teenage boys were awfully fond of having at least some of their dignity intact. He could hear Reggie still talking to Julie from inside her room, as well as Julie's soft replies to whatever he was saying. While the father side of him wanted to kick a teenage boy out of his teenage daughter's room, the rest of him knew Julie needed Reggie there with her for the moment. 

Poking his head into the Alex and Reggie's room, he found Alex sitting cross legged on the top bunk, watching his hands as he twirled his drumsticks between his fingers. One shoulder fell against the doorframe as Ray questioned, "You okay, _chico_?" 

Alex fumbled for the sticks, clearly startled, before looking towards him with wide green eyes. "Oh . . . yeah . . . I'm fine." He paused, biting down on his lower lip for a moment before asking, "How's Luke?" 

"He's breathing much better now," Ray promised with a smile. "It is late - don't you and Willie have your thing tomorrow night?" He grinned a little bit, amused by the bright red blush sweeping across the boy's cheeks. "Get some sleep, Alex. Luke will be all right for the rest of the night." 

"Promise?" 

"Yes." After a moment, he shrugged lightly, “And if he is not, I will be up with him again. Either way, you need sleep.” He winked, tone turning teasing as he insisted, “You are not a ghost boy anymore, you know.”

The boy's shoulders moved as he took a deep breath in, before he pointedly set his sticks on the shelf they'd installed near the head of the top bunk and laid down. "Thank you, Ray." 

" _De nada, mijo_ ," he replied, flicking the light off and casting the room in darkness. "Sleep well." 

Leaning into Julie's room, he smiled a little to see the two teenagers laying over Julie's covers, his daughter's head on Reggie's chest as he ran his fingers through her hair tenderly. "Not too much longer, you two," he insisted, determinedly not saying anything about their positions, "Luke's treatment is early, and he's going to want the both of you there with him." 

" _Sí Papi,_ " Julie murmured at the same time Reggie replied, "Yes sir." 

He could feel his features shift sternly as he insisted firmly, "Reggie, back to your own room once you're finished talking. And this door stays open." 

"Yes sir."

Softening a little bit, he shook his head at his own behavior. Honestly, these boys respected his daughter more than anything; he didn't know why he kept worrying about her, with them around to protect her now. One hand tapped gently against the doorframe as he insisted, "It's Ray, Reggie; remember?" 

The black-haired teen blushed a little, lowering his face as he answered again, "Yes Ray." 

"Good kid," he insisted with a fond smile and a wink. "Good night, the both of you." 

The two called their "good nights" after him as he trekked back towards his own room. (If he paused at the door to check that Luke was sleeping peacefully, he would definitely never tell.) Once inside, he pushed the door closed and found his feet moving to the window . . . and the cubbyhole hidden by a stained glass panel beneath it. It had been some time since he found himself seeking out this familiar comfort and he gave himself over to it wholly. 

On the way, he snatched a pair of scissors then pushed open the window once he arrived, leaning out to cut free several of the large blossoms growing on the vine crawling up the side of the house. The scissors he tossed onto his desk before he knelt on the floor, shifting the stained glass panel aside and drawing the tiny altar from its hiding place. Replacing the dead flowers with the new, he lifted the lighter and lit the candles situated around the altar. 

Blowing out a deep breath, he folded his hands and breathed out a quick prayer, " _Bendita Diosa_ , I come to you a supplicant and wish for your grace. And to thank you, for what you have done for my daughter." 

"As always, my dear Raymundo," came a soft voice from behind him, tone familiar with tenderness and long-standing friendship, "it is my pleasure." 

Turning to face the personification of his Moon goddess, Ray took a deep breath to steel himself from the pain of seeing her again. Xochiquetzal stood beside the bed, her fingers playing across one of the rings embroidered into the edges of Ray's comforter, a small smile playing across her lips. "Rose sends her love and hellos," she insisted, looking at him with fond exasperation. "If you didn't wait so long between prayers, old friend, I could share them with you more often." 

Ray chuckled, amused as always by the nymph's playfulness, as he pleaded, "Please send Rose my own love; and tell her how very much I miss her." 

"She knows," the flower maiden replied, the curve of her lips so much like Rose's Ray could feel the pang of missing her all over again. Head cocking, the nymph considered him curiously, before asking, "Not that I am not glad to see you, but what boon do you wish to ask of me?" 

"The boy . . . Luke . . . is there anything you can do for him?" 

Her smile tilted a little as she sighed, "Believe it or not, I am doing everything I can for him." Sinking onto the edge of the mattress, the goddess sighed, "But even I can do only so much to counteract the damage my husband has done." 

Ray felt a sinking pit in the bottom of his gut, as he nodded his understanding, "Will the boy survive?" 

"He is stubborn and he is strong," she insisted with a soft chuckle. Reaching to brush tender fingers down the curve of his cheek, she insisted, "You are doing everything right, Raymundo. He will live - maybe never without problems, but he **will** live. A long and happy life. You have my word." 

"And the other boys?" 

"You have accounted for the damage my husband did to the young drummer," she replied with a smile, her eyes sparkling as she teased, "Who is quite handsome with his new glasses, by the way. My brother is desperately jealous of young Willie." 

Ray chuckled, head shaking at the reminder of the nymph's more . . . irascible brother. After a moment, he frowned as he questioned, "And Reggie?" 

The flower maiden stilled, somber and solemn suddenly in a way that set Ray's nerves on end. "Raymundo . . . Luke is the passion, Alex is the head, but Reggie is the heart. My husband wanted Luke’s passion for his own, but Caleb . . ." Her fingers were cold and soft against his cheek as she continued, "What happens to a body when the heart is gone?"

The man could feel panic swelled into his throat as he demanded, "What did they do to him?"

"I do not know," she replied, sincere sadness glowing in her eyes, "but I would have him seen to. And soon."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations: 
> 
> niño/niña - Spanish - boy/girl  
> Sí - Spanish - yes  
> chico, joven - Spanish - affectionate terms to use for a young man or teenager  
> Bendita Diosa - Spanish - Blessed Goddess  
> mijo/mija - Spanish - Son/Daughter  
> De nada - Spanish - literally "no problem," can also be used as "you're welcome"


	5. Dream Until Your Dreams Come True

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I am SO SORRY for how long this took! However I am back and we're on our way with another chapter! This is our penultimate chapter for this story, with one more story in Harmony, before the next sequel, "The Crescendo Rises". I look forward to hearing what you think about where this universe is going. 
> 
> Thank you all for being amazing and wonderful. Your comments and everything mean the world to me. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

[ ](https://imgur.com/rDHck57)

"Elephants prefer grass, if they can get it," the British voice droned from the TV, and while Luke was normally a fan of elephants, right now he cared less about their plight and more about Reggie. He and Julie had been home for hours and Reggie and Ray were still out. Luke couldn't really do anything except worry himself sick.

He huffed a little, curling up further on the couch and taking comfort in the strength of Julie’s thigh under his head. Her fingers smoothed along the skin of his shoulder, drawing circles and triangles and hearts against the skin as she watched the show. Granted, Luke didn’t think she’d heard anything the narrator had said either, but he at least knew better than to try to say otherwise. Grimacing a little as he flexed his shoulder, he tugged the blanket up over the port and settled flat once again. “Has your dad texted yet?” he questioned; a question he’d asked at least a dozen times in the last hour. 

“No,” she replied, her fingers trailing along the skin of his throat and up to the skin behind his ear, pressing tender circles into the tension he could feel accumulating there. He didn’t think she knew he could hear her own worry in his tone as she insisted, “I’m sure Reggie’s fine, Luke. He hasn’t given any indications that he’s hurting or anything - Dad’s just being overly protective.” 

“Then why aren’t they home yet?” he questioned, with a pout. “I mean, even Alex is worried.” 

“Alex is always worried,” the band’s lead singer reminded him with a quiet giggle. “Look; there’s no point stressing out about what’s going on, until we know. It might not be anything.” 

“It’s something,” he grumbled even as he cuddled closer, “or he’d be home already.” 

Julie’s fingers smoothed tenderly through his hair, his eyes fluttering tiredly at the sensation. Dr. Khan had told him it was normal to feel tired after the first infusion, and that he should nap if he could. Except he’d been so worked up about Reggie, he hadn’t managed to sleep a wink. Fortunately, Julie truly was an angel and she’d spent the entire day distracting him with nature documentaries, food and even several hours spent writing lyrics. 

He glanced towards the clock, pouting a little as the time for his nightly nebulizer treatment crept ever closer. Guilt at being such a burden on the Molinas swelled into his throat once again, forcing him to swallow hard against the feeling if he wanted to be able to breathe. “I wish your dad would take my share of the Orpheum money. I hate feeling like I’m putting him out.” 

“I know you and Dad have talked about this, Luke,” Julie reminded him, her tone a gentle scold. “It’s a free clinic - it’s not costing us anything.” 

Mouth twisting, he nodded in acceptance of the statement, before pushing himself into a seated position on the couch. Julie frowned, earning a sheepish smile as he insisted, “I have to grab the nebulizer. It’s almost six o’clock.” 

The confusion cleared and she nodded her acceptance. Granted, both of them stopped what they were doing at the sound of the front door opening behind them. Turning to look, Luke felt worry and fear roar through him at the sight of Reggie coming into the house, right knee bound up in a heavy duty brace and using crutches to move himself along. “Reg!” he shouted, bounding to his feet and bolting to his best friend. The sound of footsteps behind him clued him in to the fact Julie was right on his heels. 

The bassist smiled at the both of them, tossing his head a little to shake the strand of dark hair out of his head. “I’m fine, guys.” 

“You’re using crutches!” Luke stammered, eyes wide at the statement. 

Julie picked up from there, insisting firmly, “And you’re wearing a brace! A brace means you're pretty much the opposite of 'I'm fine'.” 

Ray Molina - literally one of the nicest parents Luke had ever known - followed Reggie into the house. He chuckled a little, nudging the bassist out of the way as he insisted, “All right, you’re all blocking the door. Luke, it’s six o’clock.” 

Luke blushed a little, his head bowing under the weight of the man’s gaze as he insisted, “Yes sir. I know . . . I just . . . Reggie came in and . . . “

Understanding lit the man’s features, chin tipping downwards into a shallow nod. “I see, but that doesn’t mean we should miss out on the routine. I’ll get the nebulizer out and set up, so you can do your treatment while Reggie goes over the details with you. How does that sound?” 

Julie sounded almost as relieved by the suggestion as Luke, her adoration for her father clear in her tone as she insisted, “ _Gracias, Papi._ ” 

Ray bent a little to brush a kiss over the crown of her head, then prodded Luke firmly towards the couch. “Sit. Luke, you’re almost hyperventilating.” 

The statement made Luke blink, forcing him to pay attention to his breathing and startled to find the man correct. Unless he got his breathing under control, the resulting asthma attack was definitely going to put Luke flat on his back again. Letting Julie guide him back to the couch, Luke sat down and followed her as she counted out breaths for him to follow along with, though his eyes were firmly fixed on Reggie’s face as the younger boy crutched along and took the seat in the armchair just a little out of reach from the couch. 

Pouting a little at having Reggie so far away, nevertheless Luke said nothing as Ray returned with the nebulizer machine and got everything set up. Luke took the mask offered to him and positioned it over his head, covering his nose and mouth as he breathed in the medicated fog pulsing from the tubing. Julie pulled him down again, letting him use her thigh as a pillow once more as he breathed as deeply as he could manage. _God, I hate this,_ he mused within the quiet of his own mind, eyeing the space between the couch and the chair as he waited for Reggie to start talking about why he’d come home in a brace and on crutches. 

Fortunately, Ray seemed to read Luke’s concern, nudging the coffee table a little ways, before pushing Reggie’s chair closer to the couch. Then, grabbing a pillow and laying it on the tabletop, he helped Reggie get his leg up and elevated. “I’ll grab the ice and some ibuprofen for you, all right?” the man questioned the bassist, earning a genuine smile from Luke’s best friend. 

“Thank you.” 

Luke nudged his head against Julie’s thigh, trying to indicate his desire for answers without speaking. Fortunately for him, Julie was the best and leaned forward to grab Reggie’s hand as she demanded, “What happened?”

Reggie’s grin felt like sunshine during a dreary day as he promised, “I’m really okay.” Here his smile turned sheepish as he insisted, “Well, I guess that’s not entirely accurate, but I’m not dying or anything.” 

“Reggie,” the lead singer scolded, her eyebrows furrowing in concern. “What did the doctor say?” 

“So before anyone gets too weird, I do have a heart murmur, but it's innocent - the doctor is sure it'll resolve all by itself." 

"A heart murmur? Isn't that bad?" 

"Apparently a lot of kids have them, and unless there's indications of more serious heart defects, they're not serious and they go away by themselves," Reggie promised with a smile. "The EKG and contrast and everything, is why we were so late getting home." 

"Okay," Julie agreed with a relieved smile, "so that's good. But that doesn't explain why you're on crutches, or why your right knee is in a brace." 

"Oh yeah - that," he replied, tone blunt and calm. "I have Osgood-Schlatter Disease." 

Luke jolted, the term sending a stab of fear through him. Only Julie’s hand, warm and gentle on his uppermost shoulder kept him immobile, as she asked the question they both wanted the answer to. “What is that? I’ve never heard of it.” 

Reggie lifted one be-ringed hand to scratch at the back of his head, looking sheepish as he glanced toward Luke nervously. “I have a feeling I should wait. He’s going to yell at me.”

The older teenager jolted at the statement, his eyebrows rushing together as he glared at his lifelong best friend. Julie’s fingers moved to Luke’s hair, smoothing through it as she insisted firmly, “Reginald, if you don’t tell us what the hell is going on right now, you won’t need to worry about Luke yelling at you. I will . . . and I will not hold back.” 

Cringing at little at her insistence, Reggie looked between the two for a moment, before letting out a heavy sigh. “Okay. But if Luke gets upset, I cannot be held responsible for messing with his treatment.” He blew out a breath of air, ruffling his hair out of his face again, before continuing, “So Osgood-Schlatter affects a tendon in my knee - it usually affects people who jump and bounce around, and it sets in around the time of the first growth spurt.” 

Luke’s eyes narrowed at the explanation, watching Reggie’s eyes meet his own for a mere second before skittering away. Julie seemed to understand Luke’s thoughts, and demanded firmly, “And when did your first growth spurt happen?” 

Reggie hummed, clearly unwilling to answer, forcing Julie to look down at Luke for the answer. Holding up ten fingers, then three more, Luke gave his girlfriend the answer and earned a shrill screech of, “THIRTEEN!?” 

He cringed visibly, giving the answer without needing to speak. 

Prodding Luke upwards, Julie slipped from under his head, fussing with pillows and blankets to get Luke comfortable again, before starting to pace furiously in front of the television. Finally, she threw up her hands and whirled to face him, her tone hot with anger as she demanded, "Why the hell is this only being addressed now at the age of seventeen, when you were in pain from the time you were **THIRTEEN** , Reginald?' 

Luke nodded along with her, getting frustrated at not being able to make his concerns known through the mask he wore, but hoping the pissed off sounds he made low in his throat got the message across regardless. Considering the sheepish look on Reggie's face, it was a fair assumption that he was. White knuckling the edge of the pillow, Luke grunted insistently, demanding answers. 

Reggie sighed, hand pushing back through his hair as he slumped a little further in the armchair. Giving Luke a droll look, he insisted sharply, "Come on, man - you know my parents. If I'd told them I was hurting, what would they have said?"

Luke's jaw flexed, fury grinding his teeth together, and utterly unable to fault the statement. Reggie's parents weren't really parents at all - they never laid a hand on him, but they definitely didn't pay attention to him either. Best case scenario? They would have given him a bag of peas and a Tylenol for the pain, then gone back to their own pursuits. A detail Julie didn't know and didn't seem to find all that important. She was luminous in her anger, curls flying as she paced and hands clenched into fists at her sides. "And what about Luke and Alex? Their parents?" Fists pressing down into her hips, she glared at the bassist and demanded, "Do you really mean to tell me that there isn't a **single** person in your life who could have helped you get treated?"

Reggie flinched a little, forcing Luke to groan and push himself upwards. Both of them turned to look at him, equally concerned at the sound, though Luke only waved a hand through the air and rolled his eyes, before miming the act of writing on his hand. Julie's eyebrows furrowed for a moment, before her eyes went wide and she announced, "Oh! Yeah - let me grab a notebook and a pen." 

Nodding his thanks, Luke watched her go before turning to face Reggie. The youngest member of Sunset Curve sat slumped in his chair, nibbling on his lower lip and looking all around miserable. Luke frowned behind the mask; Reggie should never be so still or look so sad. Too many bad memories were associated with that look, and the only thing Luke hated more than that look was the jerk who stole their music when they died. One hand reached out and took Reggie's hand, lacing their fingers together and squeezing hard in the hopes that Reggie would look up at him. 

Unfortunately, Reggie had apparently decided to suddenly get stubborn, slipping free of Luke's grip and lifting his feet into the seat, arms wrapping around them and face buried against his knees. Frustrated by the fact he couldn't really speak very well through the mask, Luke nevertheless snatched up Reggie's hand again and held it close, refusing to let the bassist tug himself free. 

Reggie peeked up at him from over the crest of his knees, tears clinging to his lashes as he tried to gauge Luke's anger over the news. One eyebrow cocked upwards, Luke's eyes rolling pointedly and earning a soft chuckle from his best friend. Relieved to earn the smile, Luke used his grip on Reggie's hand to pull him from the armchair and onto the couch next to him, having exactly zero compunction to cuddle up and force the bassist to stay seated beside him. 

The younger teenager huffed a little, tone soft as he insisted, "Spoiled." 

Luke smiled behind the mask, hoping Reggie could see the action despite the muffling plastic. Julie arrived back then, notebook and pen in hand. She didn't even blink to see the two boys cuddling together, instead taking Reggie's former place in the chair and handing the items to Luke. Hardly caring about his ugly handwriting, Luke scribbled quickly, _Does it hurt a lot?_

Reggie smiled a little, before his head shook once. Then he paused, seeming to reconsider his answer when both Luke and Julie gave him an incredulous look. Mouth twisting, he sighed before insisting, "It always hurts." Fingers scrubbing tenderly through Luke's hair, he sighed. "It always had. Honestly, I never thought to ask if something was wrong, because everything I could find out from watching you and Alex told me that growing pains were awful." He shrugged. "I just assumed mine were the same as yours, just worse." 

Luke huffed a little, tossing Reggie a deadpan look, before scribbling his next thought quickly. _You should have told us._

"And what would it have changed?" he asked with a small smile. "There's nothing they can really do about it. I won't need surgery unless the . . . whatever he called it, at the top of my tibia remains really pronounced or the pain continues past the time I'm twenty-five. And even then, most of the time it goes away by itself once the person with it stops growing." 

"Most of the time?" Julie echoed, her eyes narrowing a little. 

Reggie winced - clearly, he'd given something away he hadn't meant to and Luke poked him hard in the ribs as a silent scold. The two old friends glared at each other for a moment, before Reggie's eyes rolled again and he continued, "I have a really advanced case. Because I didn't get it treated before . . . I could be someone who has problems into adulthood, instead of it going away once my bones stop growing. Dr Gregory wants me to wear the brace and use the crutches for a few weeks, to take some of the strain off the tendon, and then he wants to take some more X-Rays and see if there's any other problems developing." He shrugged, before conceding, “Either way, he thinks I might always have some pain while kneeling, so that’s going to be fun.” 

_You should have **TOLD** us,_ Luke insisted, scribbling over the word “told” furiously across the page, redrawing it in big, bold letters before he slashed four sharp lines beneath it . . . just in case it required further emphasis. 

"Yeah," the bassist agreed with a shrug, "but what could either of you do about it, if I did? After a while it got to be so normal, I didn't really notice it anymore. I even had it a little bit as a ghost, though it got really bad for awhile after Caleb's stupid stamp came off." One hand stretched out to rub at his knee through the opening his brace, mouth twisting as he joked, "Honestly, having it back to normal levels of pain, is just one more reason to be happy I'm human again."

Julie's eyes rolled, moving from the armchair to the edge of the couch and she captured Reggie's face between her palms. Dark searching green, after a moment Julie glanced at Luke. He knew exactly the thought on her mind, as it was something they'd talked about that morning during Luke's infusion, while Reggie was being looked at by the medical staff. Nodding, the guitarist watched with a thrill in his chest and a grin on his lips as Julie leaned forward and pressed her lips firmly to Reggie's own. 

The startled look on Reggie's face was golden, and Luke grinned behind the mask. Meanwhile, the two remained motionless, Julie’s mouth pressed firmly against Reggie’s, while the bassist tried to restart his brain and, hopefully, get with the program. Luke’s hand moved to grip Reggie’s hand, squeezing in a way he hoped was reassuring. It took longer than Luke thought it would, but finally Reggie's lips moved against Julie's own, forcing a soft whimper and a gasp from their lead singer. 

Once upon a lazy summer, back when they were thirteen - long before either of them ever kissed a girl - Luke kissed Reggie. Or Reggie kissed Luke. They never quite figured out who initiated the kiss, only that the two decided to practice kissing, in the event that two gangly, dorky, and pimply-faced music nerds ever got the chance to kiss a girl. One kiss had turned into many, and the two had practiced for almost the whole summer, before they went back to school and Reggie got cornered in the music room by Patty Simms and staggered out with her lipstick smudged across his mouth. 

Though the two boys hadn't kissed again after that, Luke well remembered how good Reggie was at kissing. His lips moving firmly against yours, and his tongue flicking over every inch of your mouth. It was heady and thrilling - Luke didn't blame Julie for the tiny moans she was making in the least. All too soon, though, he started hating the mask covering his mouth and preventing him from getting his own kisses from his best friend. Frustrated, Luke whined a little bit in the back of his throat, fingers twisting in Reggie’s grip and pulling both of their attentions onto him completely. 

Julie laughed, leaning over to check the timer and promised, “Five more minutes until its done, Luke.” 

Slumping, the guitarist tried to convey the pout on his lips through his eyebrows. He hated this stupid machine – all the fun stuff happened while he was connected to it. Julie giggled at his expression, shifting to sit on the other side of Luke and lean up to press a kiss to the underside of his jaw. “Just be a little bit more patient.” 

Luke reached up to fiddle with the mask, both of them barking insistently, “Don’t you dare!” The guitarist whined, though he did drop his hand just in case they both got angry with him for even considering removing it early. He watched as Julie and Reggie exchanged a look over his head, before Reggie lifted one hand to cup Luke’s cheek, thumb smoothing along the line of the mask as his lips pressed delicately to the skin just below his eye. “Be good, Lucas, and finish your meds. Then, once you’ve brushed your teeth, I’ll kiss you as many times as you want.” Glancing up at Julie with a shy smile, it took a moment for him to look back down at Luke and promised, “We both will.” 

If this was the bribe Luke got every time he had to take his damned meds, he swore he’d never protest again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You're awesome!


	6. The Final Notes

Hey guys, so this isn't a chapter. Rather, this is an announcement. A sad one and one I didn't one to make . . . one I desperately wish I didn't **have** to make. An announcement I hate the necessity of, but that I felt was owed to those of you who enjoyed these stories. An announcement to warn you in advance of my next actions. 

_The Harmony Builds_ will not be completed. I just don't have the interest or the passion for it anymore. 

Furthermore, this pseud and everything affiliated with it - including _. . . the Melody Lingers On_ , and _In Sickness & In Death_ \- will be deleted from AO3 following a 72 hour holding period. 

If you would like to download anything, now is the time. 

I'm sorry - I don't like abandoning works and over the last fifteen years I've been writing, I have tried hard not to do it. But . . . I can't. I'm tired. The hate and cruelty from certain spheres within this fandom has finally run me out and I'm done fighting it anymore. 

Thank you all for your wonderful comments and the kudos you've given to these stories. They mean the world. 

You're awesome. Thank you. Goodbye.


End file.
